Arctocephalus gazella
Silhouette: Alexandre Vong · PhyloPic
The Antarctic fur seal (Arctocephalus gazella) is one of eight seals in the genus Arctocephalus, and one of nine fur seals in the subfamily Arctocephalinae. Despite what its name suggests, the Antarctic fur seal is mostly distributed in Subantarctic islands and its scientific name is thought to have come from the German vessel SMS Gazelle, which was the first to collect specimens of this species from the Kerguelen Islands.
The Antarctic fur seal is a member of the genus Arctocephalus. Recently, a proposal was made to reassign this species to the resurrected genus Arctophoca. Antarctic fur seals may be confused with southern otariids that share their range, like Subantarctic (A. tropicalis), New Zealand (A. forsteri), and South American fur seals (A. australis), and the Juan Fernandez fur seal (A. phillippii), as well as the South American (Otaria flavescens) and New Zealand sea lions (Phocarctos hookeri).
Genetic studies on population structure suggest that there are two genetically distinct regions: a western region including the islands of the Scotia Arc, Bouvet Island, and Marion Islands, and an eastern region, including Kerguelen and Macquarie Islands. Seals from...
Recording0:23
Antarctica · 2016
© Laura Mae · iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands | 🇬🇸 South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands | |
| 2 | Antarctic Peninsula & South Shetland Islands | 🇦🇶 Antarctica |
Very likely
About 90% of wildlife watchers report an Antarctic Fur Seal sighting in South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands on a given day, based on 597 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the most-seen of the 9 mammals we can rate there.
April and December
In those months over 90% of wildlife watchers report an Antarctic Fur Seal in South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands on a given day, against about 90% in January–March and October–November, the lowest months. May to September have too few records to rate.
Between 3 and 6 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Antarctic Fur Seal sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Antarctic Fur Seal sightings, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands has the highest daily chance: about 90%. Next come Antarctic Peninsula & South Shetland Islands (Antarctica, about 70%).
Same order: Carnivora
The closest relatives of the Antarctic Fur Seal that you can see in South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (order Carnivora, Carnivorans) are Southern Elephant Seal (about 90%), Leopard Seal (about 30%) and Weddell Seal (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Antarctic Fur Seal is recorded against all the mammals logged in South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (597 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
